So what’s a parent to do? Some kid at their school might have swine flu. Now, their kid has to stay home — for seven whole days.

“I need to talk to my boss about my situation and my kid,” said Durga Chitti, a software engineer as she picked up her 6-year-old son, Sivansh, at Challenger School-Strawberry Park in West San Jose, closed because of a probable case of swine flu.

“But I appreciate the idea that they (health officials) are thinking about the safety of the kids.”

With four more Santa Clara County schools suddenly closed late Thursday because of probable or suspected cases of swine flu, parents like Chitti were thrust into a bit of upheaval, wondering what do next as the practical toll of the school closings became apparent.

Now, Chitti plans to take her child to the pediatrician just in case — and may have to work from home.

Schools closed were Delphi Academy and Elan Esprit Preschool in Santa Clara, Challenger School-Strawberry Park in San Jose and Rucker Elementary in San Martin. Delphi, Elan and Challenger won’t reopen until May 11 — even though in the case of Elan Esprit, there are no cases but its proximity to Delphi prompted the closing. Rucker Elementary has nine kids with flulike symptoms; it may reopen Monday depending on test results. Branham High School was closed Wednesday and won’t open until Wednesday of next week. Nationwide, 300 schools have been shut down.

“This is understandable. The child’s safety is very important. It’s a good decision, said Vishakha Prashad, whose daughter Satchi, 5, attends kindergarten at Challenger.

Even so, the stay-at-home mom said it would be difficult with two kids in the house for 10 days. Her other son is 2 years old.

Officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have warned people to stay home if either they or their children are sick.

“That’s good advice but, unfortunately, nearly half of private-sector workers in the United States don’t have a single paid sick day,” Debra L. Ness, president of the National Partnership for Women & Families, said in a statement. “The same is true for nearly four in five low-wage workers. And nearly 100 million workers don’t have a paid sick day they can use to care for a sick child. For them, staying home means losing pay and, perhaps, losing their job. In this economy, that’s a terrible choice to have to make.”

Deborah Flores is the superintendent of Gilroy Unified School District. She’s also a parent of a 10-year-old at Rucker.

“I was dealing with the school first and it’s only been in the last half-hour that I’ve been thinking of how it’s going to impact me as a parent,” Flores said Thursday evening.

“We’re all wrestling with the same issue — what to do about tomorrow. Like most parents there is a lot of uncertainty.”

Sandra Gonzales is the deputy metro editor at the Mercury News, overseeing local news coverage. Previously, she was night city editor and has spent most of her journalism career as a reporter, covering a wide-range of beats: education, city government, courts and crime.

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